Knife Handle (Kozuka)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows a long, rectangular, bronze-colored metal object with a raised design. The object is a knife handle (Kozuka) created by an unknown artist. The object is mostly bronze with some gold and black details. The right side of the object has nine raised teardrop shaped marks, four on the right side and five on the left. A design on the right end features four figures with large round eyes and pointy ears wearing striped shirts and holding swords. The figure on the left appears to have a bird on its head. A design on the left end features a dragon-like creature. The background is a light gray color.